BERHAMPUR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday announced that the state government has sanctioned Rs 68 crore for infrastructure development of Tara Tarini temple in Purushottampur block of Ganjam district.
On a one-day visit to Ganjam, Majhi offered prayers at the hilltop shrine and said the fund will be used for installation of an automated cooking machine, repair and reconstruction of the 999 stone steps, land acquisition for parking and a helipad among others.
Besides, Rs 30 crore has been earmarked to provide necessary facilities to devotees and visitors. The fund will be utilised for construction of a multi-storey dharmashala in front of the temple’s main entrance, a picnic spot, road improvements including safety walls, lighting, signboards, five domes around the shrine and other development works along Rushikulya river. A sum of Rs 5 crore will be kept as fixed deposit for maintenance of the temple and other buildings, said Majhi.
Later in the day, Majhi inaugurated the centenary celebrations of Gangadahani government upgraded high school in Purushottampur. Addressing the event, he emphasised that education is not merely a process of awarding certificates to students but preparing them for the race of life.
Advising students to use education in the right way, Majhi said in neighbouring country Pakistan, many children engage in terrorist activities after receiving education. “They misuse their knowledge and ruin their future. But we want wisdom. We do not want jihad, we want Jagannath. Therefore, we must study to bring pride to ourselves, our families and our villages, and dedicate ourselves to the glory and honour of our motherland,” he said.
The CM further said education is a top priority for the state government. In this year’s budget, Rs 31,000 crore has been allocated for school education, an 18 per cent increase compared to previous year, making it the highest allocation among all departments. The government aims to restore schools which are over 100 years old as ‘heritage schools’, he added
Majhi was accompanied by Ministers Bibhuti Bhusan Jena and Gokulananda Mallik and MLAs of Chikiti, Kabisuryanagar, Chhatrapur and Khallikote.